Friction-clutch.



E. B. PARKHURST 1 L. w. WITRY.

FRICTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED Nov, 14, 1912.

47 Fig, i.

Fz'gx 2.

witnesses.

Attornzy.

Patented June 15, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE.

EDWARD B. PARKHURST AND LOUIS W. WITRY, OF WATERLOO, IOWA, ASSIGNORS TOTHE WATERLOO GASOLINE ENGINE COMPANY, OF WATERLOO, IOWA.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, EDWARD B. PARK- I IIURSTand LOUIS lV. WI'rRY, citizens of the ments in Friction-Clutches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in friction-clutches, and theobject of our improvements is to provide convenient and effective meansfor transmitting rotation from a driving pulley to a driven-shaft, andincluding means for effectively coupling said parts together for mutualcoaction, and other means for conveniently mounting and securingremovably the clutch on the drivenshaft.

This object we have accomplished by the means which are hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and which are illustrated by the followingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an axial vertical section of said friction-clutch asoperatively associated with both a driving pulley and with a drivenshaft. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the main sleeve casting of saidfrictionclutch, with a portion thereof broken away to better discloseits interior bearing surface. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section ofthe neck part of said main sleeve casting, taken on the line ab of Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a greatly diminishedleft-hand elevation of the structures shown in Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views.

In the drawings: the reference numerals denote the following describedparts. 1 is a driven shaft having an integral or fixed collar 2.

j, 5 is a driving-pulley having spokes 4 and hub 3, the latter looselymounted on said driven shaft immediately to the right of said collar 2.The hub 3 is projected somewhat to the right and provided with a conedperipheral or circumferential surface on which is movably seated a likeinwardly coned ring 15 forming an integral art of the main'slccvecasting 16, and said ring has an outwardly directed flange 8 restingagainst the S)01(6S 4 to its left and having its right-ban surfacesuitably formed and grooved to act as a seat for the superposedSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1915.

Application filed November 14, 1912. Serial No. 731,316..

friction-rings 10, 11, 12 and 13, the rings 10 and 12 having edgeprojections extending into slots 9 in the rim 41 of an outer andconcentric ring 7, the latter having its righthand part turned inwardlyto form a flange 39 which rests upon the right-hand ring 13, and therings 11 and 13 having projections extending into the grooves 40 of thering 15 movably. The said rings are therefore held frictionally betweenthe parallel flanged parts 39 and 8 in a well-known manner. Seated uponthe extreme righthand end of the ring 15 is another ring 14 which bearsmovably againstthe right-hand face of the flange 39. The middle part ofsaid main sleeve casting 16 has a cylindrical axial opening serving toreceive the righthand end of the driven shaft 1, and has a groovedkey-seat 38 adapted to be located opposite a like "key-seat in saidshaft to contain a key 35.

The casting part 16 is formed with openings 17 extending clear throughits opposite parts lengthwise, forming two straight slots connected by asemi-circular-slot 3 in the radially-directed part which joins the part16 to, the ring 15. The effect of this slot is to lend a certain smallamount of flexibility to the part of the casting 16 thus nearlyseparated, and this is done to permit the fitting of the part 16 overthe shaft 1 and the key 35, since the isolated part will give enough topermit the entrance of said parts into its bearingcavity, then reactingto hold the parts tightly together, the oppositely placed pairs of lugs18 being secured together by bolts 19 and nuts 34, which tends tofurther secure the parts together. When the bolts are loosened orremoved, the shaft and its said key may be easily removed, because theisolated half of the part 16 will yield enough to prevent sticking.

The ring 7 has a projection 6 extending to the left far enough to passbetween two of the spokes 4 of said driving-pulley and be engagedtherewith. This holds the ring 7 in a constant position relatively tosald pulley. The other parts 11 and 13 of the clutch, however, mayrotate with said pulley only when the ring or annular friction-head 14is compressed against them, in the following manner and by means of thefollowing-described mechanism.

The numerals 23 and 24 represent fingers or pawls which are pivoted onthe bolts 19 and have their right-hand ends curved toward the axis ofthe shaft and passed through oppositely-placed slots 26 in theright-hand hollow diminished cylindrical end 25 of said main sleevecasting. Each of said fingers has an outwardly-directed lug 20 orific'edparallel to said shaft to receive a set-screw 22 provided with a nut 21,the left-hand end of said screw bearing upon the right-hand face of thering 14, adjustably. Within the axial hollow of the part 25 of said mainsleeve casting, is seated a plunger 27, having two tapers toward theright to form a diminished shank 28 and having a still more diminishedend. 29, a hand-wheel 30 being seated loosely and slidably on said end29, and held there by means of a washer 31 and a removable pin 32.

When the clutch is inthes loose position shown, with the pulley 5running idly on said shaft 1, the positions of the fingers 23 and 24 areas shown in Fig. 1, with their tips resting upon the diminished part 28of the plunger-head 27. To shift the ring 14 to the left to tightlycompress the said frictionrings together, and thus frictionally connectthe shaft 1 to the pulley 5 to be rotated thereby, it is only requisiteto pull the plunger-head 27 to the right, the operator grasping thehand-wheel 30, without receiving ,any injury since the subsequentstarting tracted end of said sleeve,

rotation of the parts is not communicated to said wheel. The coned part27 of said plunger-head is drawn between the tips of the fingers 23 and24, forcing them apart, and pressing the left-hand ends of-theset-screws 22 againstthe ring 14, the latter then compressing the otherfriction-rings and effecting a driving communication from said pulley tosaid shaft. When the plunger-head is pushed back to the left thecompression is terminated, and the slippage between the parts breaks thedriving communication of thilpulley with the shaft. aving described ourinvention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. In combination, a driven-shaft, a driv ing-pulley loosely mountedthereon, a sleeve mounted on said shaft non-rotatably and having one endextending beyond the end of the shaft and provided at its outer end withan inwardly-extending flange, the projected part of said sleeve havinglike longitudinal slots on its opposite sides, a plunger seated in thehollow of said projected part, the inner end of the plunger fitting thein-' terior of the sleeve slidably and diminished slopingly and thenformed cylindrically to fit slidably in the axial hollow of the coni theouter part of said plunger being diminished beyond said sleeve, armshavmg like ends pivotally mounted'on opposite sides of said sleeve and lke openings having their outer ends curved over toward the shaft andpassed through the adjacent slots in the sleeve to lie in the path ofmovement of theconed part of said plunger, a hand-wheel rotatablymounted on the diminished outer part of said plunger, an annularfriction-head mounted coaxially about the said sleeve, said arms adaptedto bear against said head when the coned plunger is moved in onedirection against the curved ends of the arms, said sleeve having aradial flange, friction-means carried on said sleeve and a membercarried slidably by said pulley and adapted to be engaged by saidfrictionhead, friction-means carried movably upon said member, and saidmember being adapted to frictionally engage said firstandsecond-mentioned friction-means together and against said radial flange.v

2. In combination, a driven-shaft having a fixed annular flange thereon,a drivingpulley rotatably mounted ,on said shaft near its end andabutting upon the said annular flange, a sleeve mounted non-rotatably onsaid shaft to project for a distance therebeyond with its outer endcontracted to leave a terminal axial orifice of diminished diameter, aplunger mounted in the hollow of said projected part with a diminishedend extended through the end orifice of the sleeve, a hand-wheelrotatably-mounted on and secured on the diminished part of said plunger,said sleeve having like longitudinal slots on opposite sides, armspivoted to said sleeve and having their outer ends bent over to passthrough said slots, said plunger being adapted when moved in onedirection to engage said arms slidingly and push them outwardly, theother end of said sleeve being formed with an outer annular radialflange, friction-rings seated side by side with said flange coaxially, afriction-plate located to abut upon the outermost of saidrings andattached removably to said driving-pulley, and a friction-head mountedmovably about said sleeve to abut upon said friction-plate, said armshaving integral lugs on their outer edges, and set screws seated in saidlugs and adapted to have their ends in contact with the last-mentionedfriction-ring, to press the latter into engagement with saidfrictionplate when the arms are pushed outwardly in the sliding actionof said plunger, said friction-rings being movably connected inalternation with said sleeve and with said pulley respectively, andbeing adapted to be compressed upon said radial flange by pressuretransmitted from said friction-head.

3. In combination, a driven-shaft, a driving-pulley loosely mountedthereon, a sleeve non-rotatably mounted on said shaft near said: ulleyand having an offset part prod with an integral outwardly-directed videradial flange, the sleeve having longitudinal on opposite sides whoseends extend to said offset part and are placed in tion-plates beingslidably non-rotatably concommunication by a continuing Opening innected to said pulley.

the said part passing half around it, a plu- Signed at Waterloo, Iowa,this 26th day rality dof colliltactiifng frictiox-plageslmovablg ofOctober, 1912.

5 carrie on t e 0 set part 0 sai s eeve an abutting upon its flange, andmeans movably wgfi mounted on said sleeve and contacting the outermosto-said friction-plates and adapt- Witnesses:

ed to be actuated to engage said plates with WM. E. FERGUSON,

- 10 each other and said flange, one of said fric- GEO. G. KENNEDY.

